What is stopping you from moving to the cloud?

Posted 24th September 2018

More and more industries are moving to the cloud, the accountancy industry is no different. Whether you are looking for something to help with invoicing, payroll or generally looking after your bookkeeping there is an option out there. Is the cloud the best option, or could your traditional desktop software work in the same way?

Barriers to change

It is human nature to fear change, if something is working and its not broken then why try and fix it. This is a big hurdle to overcome, but should it stop you considering moving your current bookkeeping to the cloud?

Cloud accounting packages are being designed to make the day to day bookkeeping process as simple as possible, by streamlining some basic bookkeeping steps such as updating bank transactions (including bank reconciliations) and automatically sending out recurring sales invoices.

Cloud accounting is just as secure as your online banking, Cloud companies take this very seriously, they know you must have confidence your data is safe.

Why should I move to cloud accounting?

Save Time – You have access to your data at any time, letting you share data between yourself and your accountant in real time, no sending backups via email.

Anytime, anywhere access – As long as you have an internet connection you can access your data from most devices using a browser or app.

Reduced capital expenditure – If you are using a cloud product there is no need to worry about buying expensive servers to house your data, as well as no upfront software costs.

Easy collaboration – Users can work from different locations and devices at the same time and there will be no issues with users having older version of the software, everyone will be using the latest version.

What price for change?

Some software has stayed faithful to the old one-off pricing, you pay an initial upfront price and you may only ever pay again if you want to upgrade to the latest version. This doesn’t always include any support or cover, if you want this then you may have to pay for an additional annual support contract.

Several desktop software providers are moving away from this to a monthly subscription which encompasses annual upgrades and support, but this can be costly.

Cloud software prices tend to be on a monthly subscription, generally less than their desktop cousins. A smaller monthly fixed price, including everything you need to allow you to run your bookkeeping smoothly.

Cloud software may not be for everyone, some people prefer the traditional on premises, desktop, software using more advanced features or with bespoke software designed for you. A growing business with several sites and/or the need for remote access from employees the cloud could be the perfect fit.

If you would like to discuss cloud accounting, or about what you are currently using please email Nick Wetherall or call 01772 821021.